This invention relates generally to a molded plastic pass through article that passes through a hole in a panel and retained in a supported relationship with the panel by engaging portions on opposite sides of the panel adjacent the hole.
A molded plastic pass through article is typically inserted into the hole from one side of the panel and retained in the supported relationship with the panel by rigid portions and flexible longitudinal fingers of the pass through article. The rigid portions engage the insert side of the panel and the flexible longitudinal fingers deflect to pass through the hole and then recover to provide locks that engage the back side of the panel.
The flexible fingers are typically long cantilevered fingers that protrude through the panel hole in a longitudinal or axial direction from the insert side of the panel and lock against the back side of the panel at the opposite end or tip of the long cantilevered finger. These long flexible fingers typically require a relatively thick panel with a long hole, a long pass through article and more space behind the panel.
Moreover, a pass through article is typically sealed by an elastomeric O-ring that sits in a circumferential groove of the article. Thus in addition to axial length required for the flexible longitudinal fingers to deflect without breakage, additional axial length is required to accommodate the O-ring groove and lands on either side of the O-ring groove. See for instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,252,088 granted to John R. Morello et al Oct. 12, 1993 for a sealed pass through electrical connector having a connector body that is a molded plastic pass through article.
Furthermore, an even thicker panel with a longer hole and longer pass through article may be required if the pass through article is made of a filled plastic material with a lower strain limit that may be used for stability reasons to meet sealing requirements.